Separatism as a political phenomenon – an analysis. The EU’s experiences and lessons for Ukraine

The article deals with the phenomenon of separatism, its common understanding and main features. It discusses the most important separatist tendencies and the threat of separatism in the EU, including the typology and the centres of separatism in Europe. The principal reasons for separatist movements in the EU are described. Considering the complex origin of separatism, the homogeneity of its foundation in Europe is proved and the threat of separatism in Ukraine is analysed. Manifestations of separatism in Ukraine and the EU are compared, the influence of globalisation and regionalisation on the ethnopolitical process in the EU and Ukraine is justified, and the dual influence of regionalisation on separatism is revealed.